The above painting is in the collection of the Museum Calvet in Avignon France. It is described as a “Portrait d’une Religieuse.” It is attributed to the “Ecole Francaise XVIIe, Inv. 278). The upper right-hand corner has the notation of 1644 and the signature of Lenain. The Le Nain brothers: Antoine (c. 1599-1648), Louis (c. 1593-1648), and Mathieu (1607-1677) worked in Paris in the middle of the 17th century. Could this be a previously unknown portrait of Louise de Marillac? In 1644 Louise would have been 53 years old and often in ill-health (fairly old for a 17th century woman). The woman in the portrait is wearing widow’s garb which bears a striking similarity to that worn by Louise. The oldest portrait of Louise is found in her 1676 biography of Nicolas Gobillon. This portrait bears some resemblance to this portrait of a younger Louise. More research is of course needed, but the possibility is intriguing…….